The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-17
PROTECTION A. B. C'S.

Whenever the tariff question comes up for
discussion there are two classes of people that
become rabid against the principle of protec-
ton. The one is too densely ignorant or
prejudiced to consider it fairly, and the other
never gets beyond the primary stage in any
thing and never stay there longer than while
the discussion is going on. The latter deserve
patient and kind treatment, for with them it
is disability. To the superficial the argu-
ment of the President against a tariff on wool
seemed plausible, and they caught on with
the glee of four-year-old with his first
Fourth of July shooting cracker. The argu-
ment of the President was that the sheep
growers were few compared with the other
classes, and that it was great wrong 10 put
a tariff on wool, for the duty added to
the cost of the product, and became a tax on
the other fifty eight millions of people for the
benefit of the two millions engaged in sheep
husbandry. Of the forty thousand taxpayers
in indianapolis it is said that only about ten
thousand own carriages and wagons, and yet
one of the heaviest items of tax is to keep up
the roadways of our streets. And so of many
of the items Of taxation levied by
States and Nation. This tax inures
directly to those Immediately interested.
Good roadways add 10 to 20 per cent to the
lives of the horses and lasting qualities of the
carriages and wagons, and ara thusa great cav
ing TO their owners really putting or keeping
large sums of money directly in their pockets.
Isn't it an 'infernal robber tax" on the thirty
thousand who have no horses, carriages and
wagons? Why are such things tolerated, any
way9 For the benefit of the class that just
now need primary instruction on fundamental
elements of political economy let it be said
that good roadways enable the owners Of two
horses and a wagon to haul double the freight
they could over poor ones, and all classes
are interested more or less in the item Of
hauling, the expenses per load are much
reduced. And so of items of State and ma
tionaI taxes; indirectly they touch all classes
Take the school tax. for instance. There are
lots of old bachelor who still insist on the
free trade--no, that hurts, so we will say
no children to educate and it is an outrage to
tax them for school purposes But they are
greatly benefited, indirectly, by the blessings
of pervading general intelligence and there
fore the Justice of the tax.
Now, it NAV be true that when the wool
duty was first levied the benefit was first felt
by the wool grower for he was in the line of
direct contact, just the owners of the chill
dren in the public schools felt the first ben
eft, and those of the wagons and horses.
But the duty encouraged rapid increase
of wool production, and because of a
rapid increase of competition in that aud
from the same principle
of protection, the price of wooden goods
went lower and lower, TILL under protection,
they are lower than ever before and so the
fifty millions who use woolens come in for
their share of the benefit arising from the
tariff duty. The same is true of iron,
steel, ETC. When foreign countries had all
the steel rail mills in 1861, steel rails cost US
$3.50 per ton. We began manufacturing
them under protection in 1867. and the plants |
rapidly increased until, in 1872, rails dropped |
to $112 per ton under competition. This |
rapidly went developing, for
had plenty of material, and the price, |
under protection, went down to $50. % per |
ton in 1876. and in 1885 the price was only |
S27 per ton. This is but an illustration of |
the principle of protection in other things. |
All the people participate in the benefits.
PERHAPS there never was complete an |